Machen Sits Down With TV20

Published August 18th, 2010

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He described the last three years as "tumultuous." Monday Bernie Machen told TV20, the University of Florida's budget problems are connected to a slip in UF's academic reputation. However the president offered some insight into the numbers.

"Our big financial resource has started to go away from us, and the reality is, it's going to continue to slip away from us," said Bernie Machen, President of the University of Florida.

Machen says UF has absorbed a total of $150 million dollars in budget cuts from the state, and recent tuition increases aren't getting it all back.

"We're still 100 million dollars down, in terms of what our budget was three years ago," he said.

UF slipped six spots in its 2011 U.S. News and College Report's academic ranking.

"If we want to be a better university, we have to make sure we hire the best faculty," said Machen.

In a time when most universities are not in a position to hire new faculty, Machen said, UF is using stimulus money to bring 100 new faculty members on board.

Machen added, current tuition policies, backed by good student financial aid over time, will put the university in good financial shape, and help achieve a solid foundation.